This invention relates to uses of immunomodulating agent, medical supplies, and health foods containing mono acetyl diacyl glycerol derivatives extracted from deer antler as an effective ingredient.
Antler (in Latin, Cervi parvum cornu) is an uncalcified horn harvested and dried from any animal of the deer family. In traditional oriental medicine in Korea, deer antlers together with ginseng have been widely used for their various acclaimed medicinal effects. The deer family for the traditional use of antlers are limited only Cervus nippon Temminick var. mantchuricus Swinhoe(Referred as C.N. hereafter) and Cervus elaphus L. Deer antler has been acclaimed to have numerous medicinal effects. It has been known to be efficacious in tonic agents, growth and development promotion, hematopoiesis, treating nervous breakdown, treating cardiac insufficiency, and generally improving the function of the five viscera and six entrails (Dong-euibogam, a classical medical literature in Korea). Other literatures in traditional medicine, concerning the effects of deer antlers, also reported that tonic effects, nourishing effect, strengthening vitality effects including improving cardiac function, relieving fatigue effects, enhancing immunity. Many attempts have been made to uncover the curious chemical make-up of antler. As a result, it is found to contain active gradients such as free amino acids, trace (metallic) elements, hexose, pentose, hexosamine, uronic acid, sialic acid, mucopolysaccharides (e.g. hyaluronic acid, chondroitin A), various fatty acids, prostaglandins. It has also been reported that glycolipid, phospholipid, cholesterol, hypoxanthine, cholest-5-ene-3β,7α-diol, cholesterol ester, polyamine were detected in the extracts from deer antler. Others reported the presence of estrone, and estradiol receptor (report of NIH Korea, Vol. 22, p 359, 1985; Korean Biochem. J, Vol. 9, No. 3, p 153, 1976; Korean Biochem. J, Vol. 9, No. 4; p 215, 1976; Korean Biochem. J, Vol. 10, No. 1, p 1, 1977; Shoykugaku Zasshi, 43(2), p 173, 1989).
Immunity is a defense mechanism protecting a living body from various pathogens. Immunodeficiency is resulted from a defect in a constituent of immune system, indicating that immune system is unable to response to various antigens. Immunodeficiency is largely divided into congenital or primary immunodeficiency and acquired or secondary immunodeficiency. In the case of congenital immunodeficiency, B-cells or T-cells do not exist naturally, so it can be treated only by gene therapy, antibody insertion and bone marrow transplantation. On the other hand, in the case of acquired immunodeficiency, all the immune related factors exist naturally but there is malfunctioning in immune response, so it can be improved by promoting the functions of immune factors. Recently the outbreak of autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, atopy, dementia and sepsis have been increased. Autoimmune diseases are resulted from over increasing of immune function. An immune suppressor has been used to remedy autoimmune diseases, but the immune suppressor also causes decreasing of immunity frequently. Based on the disclosure of immune mechanism, various attempts have been made to develop an immune regulator for the control of immunity. The purpose of these attempts is for increasing defensive power of a living body against pathogens and minimizing side-effects by controlling promotion or suppression of immune function with immune regulators which can stimulate immune cells non-specifically. Immune regulators can remedy almost diseases of living body such as cancer, sepsis, degenerative arthritis, infection, dementia, aging, diabetes, anemia, skin disease, asthma, atopy, stress, nerve breakdown, physical fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome, and osteoporosis. As of today, chemical compounds, microorganism compositions, biological products, etc, have been used as an immune regulator. Most of those immune regulators are limited in using because they are inclined to work only one effect (either immune promotion or suppression). Therefore, they may cause side effects and have toxicity themselves. In order to overcome above mentioned problems, foodstuffs without toxicity, effective ingredients extracted from natural sources and the traditional herb medicines are the major targets to develop immune regulators and experiments to examine their effects as a medicine have been on trial. But these immune regulators still have either immune promotion or suppression effect.
Cancer, the leading cause of death in Korea, has been increasing every year. Chemo-therapy or radio-therapy for the treatment of cancer not only kills cancer cells but also destroys normal bone marrow cells, especially hematopoietic cells regulating immunity and hematopoieses, resulting in the malfunction of immune system and hematopoietic organ (Korean J. BRM., 1, p 23, 1993; Korean J. BRM., 4, p 47, 1994; Crit. Rev Oncol Hematol. 1, p 227, 1984). Sepsis is a serious disease having over 45% lethal rate caused by a severe systemic infection leading to a systemic inflammatory response. It almost happens when infected hosts response excessively against endotoxin from gram negative bacteria. However Antibiotics, steroid, or Xigris (Eli Lilly company) have been used as a septic shock treatment, the lethal rate from septic shock is still high because theses antibiotics, steroid, or Xigris are ineffective against sepsis.
Thus, the present inventors separated various ingredients of C.N. antler which has been known to having excellent pharmaceutical effects as a folk remedy, and further observed that one of those effective ingredients of C.N. antler, mono acetyl diacyl glycerol, showed significant immune regulation activity in vivo. As a result of immune regulation effects, the C.N. antler has a possibility of using for septic shock treatment and anti-cancer agent without causing toxicity in vivo. And, the present inventors completed this invention by confirming that mono acetyl diacyl glycerol of the invention can be used as a safe immune enhancing agent, an immunomodulating agent, a septic shock treatment and an anti-cancer agent.